My Walls Are Closing In
by My one true love
Summary: What happens when your past finally catches up with you? Rachel has to make a call that she never wanted to make while Puck receives news that he never expected.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N - Here is a new story. It came from a prompt off the prompt meme on the LJ comm puckrachel. I don't want to tell you the prompt because it will ruin the story. Lol. As usual I wrote everything first so hopefully it'll be updated regularly. Lol. Anyways please let me know what you think!_**

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_**Rachel stared down at her phone knowing that she had to make the call, but unable to make herself dial the number. It had been five years since she'd spoken to him and on that fateful night she'd vowed to never speak to him again, but sometimes things changed. And things had certainly changed.

She had to wipe away the tears that had spilled down her cheeks. Because there was one thing that was more important than a vow made to herself and that was the only reason she was making this call. But damn it hurt her pride as she dialed the familiar number.

"Hello?" His voice was gruff, rough with sleep as if she'd awoken him. "Hello?"

"Noah, it's me."

There was a long pause before he spoke, and when he did his voice was cold. "What the fuck do you want, Berry?"

Rachel flinched. She'd known this would be hard, but did he really have to make it _this _hard? But even as she asked herself she knew the answer. Of course he did. Because that's who Noah Puckerman was.

"Seriously, Rachel. You fucking call me after five years without a fucking word and now you don't want to talk?"

Rachel took a deep breath to steady herself. "I need to talk to you, but I'd prefer to do it in person."

"And why would I want to do that? You do remember the last time we saw one another? When you told me that you never wanted to see me again? What's changed?"

Rachel remembered that night all too well. She often thought back onto the night, wondering if things could have been any different.

* * *

_**Five years earlier**_

_Puck stuck his key in the door to Rachel's apartment before shoving the door open. He'd had a long day of classes and couldn't wait to see his girlfriend._

_A glass shattered just to the left of his head as he swung the door shut behind him and he looked up to see Rachel staring at him, eyes wild. What the fuck was going on? In her hand was another glass which she launched at his head. He quickly ducked before walking over to her, taking her shoulders in his hands. "What the fuck, Rach?"_

"_What a great choice of words, Noah, since that appears to be what you've been doing. Fucking," she hissed, her voice cold. "Fucking random girls named Nicole. Did you think that I wouldn't find out?"_

"_What the hell are you talking about?" Because he certainly had no idea._

"_I'm talking about the blonde bimbo that I met at your frat party. The one who seemed to be extra interested in you, but you said not to worry about because you weren't interested in her." Rachel laughed. "But apparently the joke was on me. She approached me after one of my classes today and told me about how you've been screwing her for months. Months!" _

_Puck just shook his head. "I don't know who the fuck Nicole is, but she's obviously lying. I didn't cheat on you, Rachel."_

_Rachel scoffed. "And why should I believe you? It's not like it would be the first time." She stalked away from him, grabbing her phone and throwing it at him. "But regardless of that, she had proof. Explain that away."_

_Puck looked down at the phone to see a picture of him with a blonde straddling his lap, their lips locked. When the fuck was this from? He didn't even remember it. He could tell from the surroundings in the picture that it had been taken at his frat house, but why the fuck couldn't he remember it?_

"_I don't know. I don't remember this."_

_She threw up her hands. "Of course you don't remember. That's convenient. And of course you didn't cheat. Because you've changed SOOO much since high school when you cheated on me with Santana and then Brittany." She laughed, the sound so cold and unlike her usual laugh. _

"_You said you'd forgiven me for that!" Puck could feel his own anger intensifying as the fight continued. Yeah he'd fucked up in high school, but that had been over two years ago and he HAD changed. Why couldn't she just believe him? They'd been together for over three years since the summer before senior year and he'd screwed up during that first year, but he hadn't touched anyone else since they'd moved to New York for school. _

"_I thought that I had, but with your indiscretions staring me in the face I realized that maybe I never really had."_

"_Well fuck you then!" Puck yelled, slamming his fist into the wall. "I'm telling you that I haven't touched anyone besides you since we moved here. Why the fuck can't you just believe that I'm telling the truth?"_

"_Because that would make me an idiot and I am not an idiot." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'd like you to give me my key back and then leave."_

"_Are you fucking serious right now?"_

_She held her hand out to him. "Key and leave."_

_He jerked his keys from his pocket, pulling off her key and throwing it at her. "You can go fuck yourself Rachel. This isn't the way you treat someone you love."_

"_And cheating on someone you love is?" She shook her head as he started to open his mouth. "Just get out. I don't ever want to see you again."_

_Puck stared at her in disbelief before leaving. He turned around to say something, what he didn't know, but anything to get her to think about this for another minute. But she slammed the door in his face, but not before he caught a glimpse of the pain in her eyes and the tears streaming down her face._

* * *

Puck sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. He'd fallen asleep watching TV and had answered the phone without glancing at the caller ID. And now he was regretting that decision. Of all the people that could've been on the line, he'd never imagined it would be Rachel. The first year after their break up, he'd tried everything he could to get her back, but she wouldn't see him or even talk to him. So he'd finally given up.

He'd gone on with his life, finished school and started a career. He'd gotten a degree in criminal justice and gone straight to the police academy after graduation. He'd spent the last two years as a part of the NYPD and he loved it. The hours sucked and the pay wasn't great, but he'd found something that he had a passion for.

"So what the hell is it that you want from me, Rachel?"

He heard her sigh on the other end of the line before she spoke. "I wouldn't be calling you unless I had to. I meant what I said then."

Fuck. Why the hell couldn't she just get on with it? He so did not want to be on the phone with her, didn't want to have anything to do with her because just hearing her voice? Yeah it opened wounds he hadn't known were still there. He didn't need to deal with this shit.

"Look, Rachel. Just spit it out. I'm not in the mood to deal with this dodging shit that you've got going on."

"Fine." She paused. "It's about your son, Noah."

Son? What son?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Wow...really that's all I have to say. I'm so glad that you guys are loving the story (15+ reviews & 100+ story alerts - OMG I'm going to have a heart attack. lol) and I hope that you continue to read. Please leave me reviews because they let me know that you're liking the story. I also just love to hear your thoughts. I forgot in the last chapter, but I'd like to thank my beta written in dreams for the great job she does. Onto the story...Oh yeah except I own nothing except the plot - the show and characters belong to someone who is sadly not me. =)

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Rachel sat quietly, waiting for him to respond. But he didn't say anything so she finally spoke up. "Hello? Noah?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure that I heard you correctly. Would you like to run that one by me one more time?"

Rachel sighed. Of course he was going to make this difficult. It wasn't like this wasn't one of the hardest things that she'd ever had to do without him being his usual self. "You have a son, Noah." She paused, swiping at her eyes again as the tears threatened to fall. "I found out I was pregnant a few weeks after our argument."

"And you're telling me this _now_?" The anger in his voice was barely controlled and she was really glad that she wasn't standing in front of him because although she knew he'd never hit a woman before in his life, he just might consider hitting her now.

"He's sick." The tears were streaming down her face and she didn't even bother to try and stop them. "We need you, Noah."

* * *

"_Dr. Nelson, you're scaring me." Rachel wrung her hands together as she sat across from the desk of her son's doctor._

"_I'm sorry, Rachel, but I have some bad news."_

"_The leukemia is back, isn't it?" She closed her eyes against the onslaught of emotions as well as to keep the tears from falling._

"_It's worse than that." He paused. "The chemo didn't work as well as we had hoped it would and it's worse than before. The only option is a bone marrow transplant."_

"_Well fine then. We'll have mine checked." Rachel had done all of the necessary research when they'd found out that Nathaniel had become ill close to a year before. They'd known that a bone marrow transplant would be a last resort, but a real possibility._

"_As we discussed before, parents aren't often a match. But I will check you and if you can get into contact with his father we will check him as well, but the best bet would be a sibling – even a half-sibling."_

_Beth. _

_And with that thought, Rachel felt her world crumble around her. She'd thought that she could handle this on her own; after all, she'd been raising her son on her own for over four years, but this changed things. She would contact Puck to tell him he had a son, one he hadn't known about for over four years so that he could be tested. But if neither of them were a match then she would have to break down and contact her mother because it was possible that Beth could save her son's life. _

_The two people in the world that she'd wanted nothing to do with and she was going to have to contact them. If it had been for anything besides her son she never could've done it, but for him she would._

* * *

Puck walked into the coffee shop and immediately his eyes went to Rachel. She was as beautiful as he remembered, but she was harder somehow. Her face was lined and her eyes filled with hurt. He steeled himself. He couldn't let her pain wipe out the anger he felt over being left out of his son's life for four fucking years. She fucking owed him.

He slid into the booth across from her, his face blank. "Berry."

"Noah." She tried to give him a smile, but failed. She looked down at her hands that were tearing a napkin apart. "Thank you for coming."

Puck snorted. "You act like I had a choice. You call me after five years to tell me that I have a son. What the fuck do you expect me to do? Hang up and never speak to you again?"

She shrugged. "You could've and I wouldn't have blamed you."

"Let's just get this over with. What the hell is going on?"

Rachel reached into her purse and pulled out a picture. "This is your son, Nathaniel, Nathan for short. He's four and a half and he is so much like you sometimes that it's not even funny." She laughed. "But the reason I called is because he was diagnosed with leukemia about a year ago. We tried chemo and a few other experimental procedures, but nothing has worked. He has to get a bone marrow transplant or he'll die." She buried her face in her hands as her body shook with sobs.

And just like that all of the anger was gone. It didn't matter why she hadn't told him she was pregnant. It didn't matter that he'd missed the first four years of his son's life. What mattered was the fact that he could die before Puck ever got the chance to know him.

"What can I do?" He slid his hand across the table and laid it lightly on her arm.

"I need you to get tested to see if you're a match." She looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "I wasn't."

"And if I'm not?"

Rachel shook her head. "The best matches are siblings."

It took him less than a minute to register what that meant. He had one other child. "Beth?"

Rachel nodded. "If neither of us are a match, then I'm going to have to contact my mother to see if she'll allow Beth to be tested. Otherwise we'll have to try for a non-related donor which has a lower success rate. I know it's a long shot because parents rarely match, but I'm hoping that you're a match. Because what if we contact Shelby and she says no? Then what? I have to watch my baby wither away and die? Oh God!"

Puck didn't stop to think about what he was doing as he slid from his seat and slid onto her side of the booth. He pulled her into his arms, holding her close as she cried. No matter how much anger and resentment was between them he knew that they could push that aside so that they could concentrate on their son.

Holy shit. He had a son. The concept was so foreign that he wasn't sure he could believe it. He'd seen the picture of Nathan and he could see himself in his son, but he could also see Rachel. One thing was for sure. They made fucking pretty kids. But then he'd always known that they would.

* * *

Puck felt like he was going to puke.

Not only had he just come from having a needle shoved into his hip (and that shit had hurt like a bitch), but now he was about to meet his son for the first time. He was freaking the fuck out. What the hell were they going to say? 'Hey, kid. Here's your dad that's been MIA since you were born'? Yeah, that would work so well.

He watched through the window to the hospital room as Rachel spoke to Nathan for a few moments before pulling him into her arms. She held him to her until he started to struggle against her and then she was motioning him in.

He couldn't fucking do this. He was freaking the fuck out and not in a good way.

But somehow his hand found the doorknob and turned. And just like that he was standing in front of his son for the first time.

Nathan's hair was a dark brown just like his and Rachel's with his skin tone and his hazel eyes, but Rachel's nose and cheekbones. Kid was fucking gorgeous (and he wasn't thinking that just because it was his kid!).

"Nathan, this is Noah. Your dad." Rachel looked toward him, her eyes shining. "Noah, this is your son Nathan."

"So you're my dad?" Nathan looked up at him questioningly.

"So your mom tells me." Puck grinned as he moved to the side of the bed.

"Mom told me that I'd meet you one day." He nodded. "It's 'cause I'm sick, huh?"

Puck looked to Rachel for help. She quickly jumped in, taking their son's hand. "Your daddy didn't know about you until now because I didn't want to share you, baby boy." She kissed his forehead and Puck felt some of his anger returning, but quickly squashed it. "But we need him now that you're sick."

Nathan looked from Rachel to Puck and his eyes were too grown up for four years old. He'd seen too much and Puck would give anything to be able to wipe that from his son. He hated that he hadn't been there, although he knew there was nothing to be done about that now.

"Okay." The boy shrugged as he laid back on his bed. "I want ice cream." He turned his attention to Puck again. "Are you going to come and visit me again?"

Puck nodded. "Of course. I plan to keep coming to see you as long as you'd like me to come see you."

"Okay, babe. We're gonna get you some ice cream. Try to get some sleep." Rachel kissed Nathan's forehead before standing.

"I'll see you later, little dude." Puck held up his fist and Nathan bumped his own smaller fist against it.

"Bye!"

Puck followed Rachel from the room, not even knowing where to start. "You're going to let me see him now, right? You can't keep him from me now that I know."

Rachel leaned against the wall, shoulders slouched in as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm not going to talk about this right now. I can't deal with it. If you want to fight, then you'll need to find someone else. The only fight I have in me is the fight for my—our—son." Rachel finally met his eyes and he saw the anger glinting in them. "I don't have the time or energy to be wasting on you. When you're ready to have an adult conversation, you can call me. Until then I have nothing to say to you." And with that she turned on her heel and stalked down the hallway.

Well that had gone well. Puck shook his head, glancing in the window to Nathan's room once to see the boy already fast asleep. As he walked towards the elevator, he couldn't help but berate himself. He hadn't meant to fight with Rachel. He'd just wanted to be sure that she wasn't going to try and rip him from Nathan's life now that he knew about him. He'd try harder next time.


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N:_**_ Dude, I am so fired. I'm sorry about the lack of updates. To make up for it I will post another chapter tomorrow! Remember to read and review!_

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Puck and Rachel sat across from Dr. Nelson as they awaited the results from Puck's bone marrow test. Thank God he didn't make them wait long.

"Mr. Puckerman, I'm sorry, but your marrow isn't a match." Dr. Nelson set down the paperwork he'd been reading over. "Do either of you have any other children that we might be able to have tested?"

"I do." Puck sighed. "I had a daughter when I was sixteen. She'd be about eight now, but we gave her up for adoption."

Dr. Nelson nodded. "Do you know anything about the adoptive parents or what type of an adoption it was? Because I highly recommend that you contact the adoptive parents to see if they will allow her to be tested."

Rachel laughed, a bitter bark of sound. "Yeah, it was my biological mother that adopted Beth." Rachel shook her head. "I haven't heard from her since the adoption." She turned to Puck. "Have you?"

Puck shrugged. "I know that she sends Quinn a letter and pictures every few months. I could call Quinn and see if she has a way to get a hold of Shelby."

"The sooner the better. It is urgent. Nathan has to have a bone marrow transplant soon." Dr. Nelson sighed. "His latest test results show that his counts are rapidly decreasing."

"What does that mean?" Puck leaned forward. Although he had done some research after he'd found out about Nathan, he still didn't know enough to understand what the doctor was saying.

Rachel was the one to answer him, her words barely above a whisper. "It means that he's getting worse and without the transplant he's going to die."

Without thinking, Puck took Rachel's hand in his, squeezing. "I'll call her now. We'll find Beth. We have to."

* * *

Puck hadn't been able to get a hold of Quinn when he and Rachel had left Dr. Nelson's office, but he'd left her an urgent message to return his call as soon as she could. That had been hours ago and Puck was getting anxious. He kept making himself deals, saying that if she didn't call by a certain time he'd call her again. Glancing at the clock he saw that he had just fifteen more minutes before he would call again.

Why the fuck wasn't she calling him? Fuck. Didn't she understand what urgent meant?

The sudden ringing of his phone pulled him from his thoughts and he quickly picked it up to see Quinn's name on the caller ID. "Thank fuck," was all he said when he answered the phone.

"Well, I'm glad to see that some things never change." Quinn's laughter rang over the line.

"Fuck that shit. Do you not understand the concept of urgent? As in call me as soon as you fucking can?"

"Calm down, Puck. I am calling you as soon as I can," Quinn snapped at him. "Sam and I had to bring Isabelle to the emergency room. She fell off the jungle gym at school and broke her arm."

Well fuck. Isabelle was Sam and Quinn's oldest child and she was an accident waiting to happen. They were constantly bringing her to the ER or the doctor's office after some accident that she'd gotten into.

"I'm sorry, Q." Puck sighed, running a hand over his head. "Look, a lot has happened in the last few days and it's got me on edge."

"What's going on?"

"I got a phone call from Rachel about a week ago and she told me that I had a son." Puck laughed. "A four and a half year old son that she'd never told me about. She named him Nathaniel. But damn, Q, he's sick." Puck found himself fighting against tears. "He's got leukemia and that's the only reason Rachel called me. If it hadn't been for him getting sick I never would've known about him."

There was silence on the other end of the line before Quinn finally said, "I'm sorry, Puck. What can I do?"

"He needs a bone marrow transplant. Neither Rachel nor I are a match. The doctor says the best match is usually from a sibling and Nathan only has one sibling."

It didn't take her anything to figure whom he was talking about. "Beth." She paused. "You want me to give you some way to contact Shelby?"

"Please, Quinn." His voice was hoarse as he choked it out. He hated to ask for help and he didn't want her to hear that he was crying, but knew that there was no way to hide it.

"Fine. Talk to Sam for a minute while I see what I can find."

"Dude," Sam said in way of greeting.

"'S up, man?"

"Another day, another trip to the ER. Ya know how it is." There was a pause. "From the sound of the conversation I take it there's something serious going on. Wanna talk about it or should I just ask Quinn after you guys get off the phone?"

Puck laughed. "I don't mind telling you. I got a call from Rachel."

"Fuck, dude. Really?"

"Yeah and that's not even the worst part. I have a kid and she didn't fucking tell me. The only reason she told me is because he's sick."

"That's fucked up. What's wrong with him?"

"He's got leukemia." Puck paused. Every time he said the word it sounded worse. He hated feeling like his world was out of control and it couldn't be any more out of control than it already was. "Basically, he needs a bone marrow transplant and his best bet is Beth."

"Ah shit. I was wondering why you guys were talking about Beth. That sucks, man."

"No fucking kidding."

"Well, Quinn's back. If you need to talk, call me. Or if you need to go for a drink, just jump on a plane and I'll go out with you." He laughed.

"Thanks, Sam. I'll talk to you later."

He knew that to outsiders the friendship that he had with Quinn and Sam was abnormal, but they were two of his closet friends. When Sam had started dating Quinn during their junior year, he'd been in juvie. When he got back to find his baby mama dating some dude, he'd freaked out. He'd almost gotten into a fight with Sam until Rachel had reminded him that he was on probation. He'd spent the rest of the year avoiding the two of them and Finn and Rachel.

When they'd gone back to school for their senior year he'd found a devastated Rachel. Finn had cheated on her with Santana and it had apparently happened on numerous occasions while they'd been dating. Probation or no probation, he'd beat the shit out of Finn. Somewhere along the way he and Rachel had gotten together and she'd helped him patch up things with Quinn and Sam. Once they'd graduated and gone their separate ways, he'd made sure that he stayed in contact with the pair who had married within the first year after graduation. Seven years and three kids later, they were the only people that he truly trusted.

"Puck?" Quinn's voice came back on the line.

"Yeah, babe. Did you get it?"

"I did and as long as she's still in the same place, then she's in Cleveland. She left me a number in the last letter although I don't know why. Whatever, it's 216-555-2420."

"Thanks, Q. I'll call you when I know more."

There was a short pause before Quinn spoke. "Remember that we love you, Puck, and that we're here for you no matter what."

"I know."

Without another word, he disconnected the phone, turning the paper with Shelby's number over and over in his hand. This would be the first contact he'd had with Shelby or his daughter in the years since she'd been born. Although he often found himself wondering about Beth, he'd never let himself dwell on it because he knew deep down that he and Quinn had made the right decision.

He'd never dreamed that he'd be contacting her. Shelby had told them when she adopted Beth that she would allow Beth the option to contact them when she got older, but she wasn't older and it wouldn't be her decision. But fuck, he had to do this for his son.

* * *

Rachel sat in Nathan's hospital room gazing out the window while he slept. Her thoughts were all over the place. Having Puck back in her life was driving her crazy. No matter how bad he had hurt her, she had never stopped loving him and every time she had looked at her son she saw Puck in him and it broke her heart. She never resented Nathan, but sometimes it had hurt so bad that she would have to lock herself in her room and just cry.

And now all of those feelings were rushing back to the surface and she couldn't (wouldn't) deal with that on top of Nathan's being sick.

She turned as the door opened, almost laughing out loud when she saw that it was Puck. "Hello, Noah."

"Berry." Puck stepped into the room, glancing at their son before turning his attention back to her. "I called Quinn and she had a number for Shelby."

Rachel stood up quickly. "Did you call her? What did she say? How did she sound?" Those were only a few of the questions that flew threw her mind as she drew closer to him.

Puck just shook his head. "I didn't call. I thought that you might want to do it."

Rachel shook her head. "I don't want to talk to her. I really don't." She paused. "But it might be better coming from me. Where's the number?"

Puck drew a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. She looked at it, recognizing the area code immediately. "She's back in Ohio?" At Puck's nod she sighed. "Will you sit here with Nathan while I go make the call?"

"Of course." Puck went to sit in the chair that she'd just vacated and she could feel his eyes on her as she exited the room.

She hadn't spoken to her mother since she'd adopted Beth; she'd had no reason to. Shelby had made it completely clear that she wanted nothing to do with her daughter and that she was going to start over with Beth. The bitterness that she had felt back then suddenly reared its ugly head. She hadn't thought about it in years and yet suddenly it was just there.

With a sigh, she pulled out her phone as she exited the hospital. She dialed the number with shaking hands before lifting the phone to her ear as it began to ring.


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N:_**_ It does seem that everyone is liking the story or at least from the amount of alerts I assume so. lol. But I would LOVE LOVE LOVE more reviews. Thank you to those who have reviewed and that are still reading. And now as promised here is another chapter. =)_

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"Hello?"

The shock was immediate. Shelby sounded just the same and for a moment Rachel forgot completely why she was calling. All she could think was that it was her mother on the other end of the line and there were so many things that she wanted to say.

She must have waited too long because Shelby once again said, "Hello?"

Clearing her mind of the past, she steeled herself for the conversation that she was about to have. "Shelby, it's Rachel."

"Rachel?" Shelby sounded confused for a moment.

"Rachel Berry." Rachel laughed. "You know, your daughter. The one that you wanted nothing to do with?" Well that was definitely not how she'd wanted to start the conversation.

"Oh." There was a brief pause and when Shelby spoke again her voice was degrees cooler. "What is it that I can do for you, Rachel?"

Awesome. Not even a minute into the phone call and she'd already pissed off her mother. Just what she needed. "It's a pretty long story. But the basics of it are that I have a four-year-old son, Nathan, who is sick. He's in need of a bone marrow transplant."

Another pause. "And that has what to do with me?"

Rachel closed her eyes, bringing a hand to her already pounding head. "The best match is a sibling."

"Again, I ask what that has to do with me?"

"Noah Puckerman is the father."

* * *

Puck sat watching as his son slept and wondered if he'd ever get a chance to get to know him. He wondered if he'd ever get to do the things that all dads wanted to do with their sons: play catch, watch football, talk about girls. He'd missed so many important firsts with his son and he didn't want to miss anything else, but what if they couldn't find a donor? What if his son died before he got a chance to get to know him?

Fuck. He wanted to hit something. Or a drink. Or maybe a lot of drinks. He felt so helpless because there was absolutely nothing that he could do. He couldn't make himself or anyone else be a match for Nathan. He couldn't will a donor into existence. All he could do was sit here and hope. Hope that he wouldn't lose this little boy from his life too soon.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear Rachel until she laid a hand on his shoulder. "Noah?"

Puck looked up into Rachel's tear streaked face and knew that the conversation with Shelby had not gone as they had hoped. Fuck. He pulled Rachel down into the chair that sat beside him and took her hand. "What happened?"

Rachel swiped at the tears that were still running down her face. "She said no. She said that she wouldn't put Beth through the tests just to find out that she's not a donor." She laid her head in her hands. "She won't even let us test Beth." She looked up and met Puck's eyes. "My own mother doesn't care about her grandson. Do you know what she said to me when we got off the phone? She said good luck. That was it. She doesn't care about me or Nathan. All she cares about is her precious Beth."

Puck chose to ignore the bitterness in her voice as she spoke about his daughter because he got it. Her mother had chosen Beth over her. If that shit had happened to him he was betting he'd be more than bitter, he'd be pissed. But they had to do something about this. They couldn't take no for an answer. They needed Beth.

"I have an idea, Rach. What if we go down and see Shelby?"

"I can't just leave Nathan here, Noah." Rachel shook her head. "I can't leave my baby boy."

Puck gave her a small smile. "That's not quite what I had in mind. What if we have Nathan transferred down to the hospital in Cleveland? We can try talking to Shelby again and we can let her meet him. She won't be able to say no then."

Rachel's face lit up before she threw herself in his arms. "That's brilliant! You're right. There's no way she can say no then."

Puck tensed up before wrapping his arms around her. She'd always fit in his arms perfectly. Up until that day five years ago he'd thought that she was the one he would spend the rest of his life with.

And at that thought he pulled away from her. He couldn't forget what she'd put him through all those years ago. How she'd had no trust in him, had not believed him when he'd told her that he hadn't cheated. Because he hadn't cheated. He'd been too in love, too wrapped up in Rachel to ever think about another girl. She'd broken his heart when she'd left him and he had to remember that. He couldn't let her get close enough to hurt him ever again.

Rachel looked up at him, hurt in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... Never mind." Rachel stood up and walked over to Nathan's bed, running her hand through his hair. "I'm already on a leave from my job. How long until you think you can leave?"

He'd never even thought about Rachel having a job. She was always with Nathan so the thought had never crossed his mind. If she wasn't working how was she paying her bills? And what kind of a job did she have? Did she make it on Broadway?

He actually knew the answer to that question. Against his better judgment he always found himself looking for her name with each new show hit Broadway and her name had never been mentioned. But he wasn't going to bring that up because it didn't matter. It wasn't his business.

"I'll call my boss tonight and see what I can do." Puck stood slowly and headed for the door. "I'll call you when I know something." And without another word he walked out the door, telling himself that it was for the best.

* * *

It took them less than a week to get things in order. Puck was taking a medical leave from work that covered his son being sick. He'd still get paid and he had up to three months. He'd sublet his apartment and knew that Rachel had done the same. The hardest thing was getting Nathan transferred. Dr. Nelson didn't think it was a good idea, but Rachel and Puck had pushed for it anyways.

So that was how they'd ended up in the Cleveland hospital room, their son's new temporary home. Nathan had been exhausted from the journey and was now fast asleep while his parents sat beside his bed.

"I guess we should check into the hotel." Rachel sighed as she ran a hand over her son's hair.

Puck shrugged. "Do you want to go see Shelby first?" He looked up at her and saw indecision flash across her features.

"As much as I'd like to put off seeing her as long as possible I think it would be best if we headed over there now." Rachel stood slowly. "You've got the directions, right?"

Puck dug the piece of paper from his wallet and held it up for her to see. "Right here." He held the paper out to her. "I'll drive and you navigate?"

Rachel's nod was terse as she took the paper from his hand before leaning down and kissing Nathan lightly. Puck glanced back at his son just once before following Rachel out the door.

Thankfully the directions were clear and got them there with no problems. It was about twenty minutes later that they pulled up in front of the one-story house. It was freshly painted, the lawn well maintained with children's toys strewn around. The pair of them sat there for a few moments, neither moving.

Puck turned to Rachel. "You sure you can do this?"

Rachel continued to stare at the house as she spoke, "While I appreciate your concern, Noah, I'm a grown woman and speaking to one's mother shouldn't be difficult, right?"

Puck frowned. He hated when she did this shit, when she held in what she was thinking. She'd put up a wall that no one could get over. He reached out, touching her arm slightly. "You don't have to be so strong all the time, ya know?"

"Oh really?" Her laugh was forced and laced with tears. When she turned to meet his eyes he saw the tears swimming in them. "If I'm not strong who will be? I have to be strong for my son."

"Our son. And you're not alone anymore, Rachel, I'm here."

Rachel shook her head, pulling away from his touch. "Let's just get this over with."


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN:** Okay so I'm the worst person ever at updating, but I appreciate the response to the story. This chapter gets a little ugly and a little graphic. If you have something against smut please close your eyes at the end of the chapter. Lol. Hope you enjoy_!

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When the door swung open, a young girl stood in the doorway and it was obvious that this was Beth, his Beth. Her hair was the same shade of blonde as Quinn's, her eyes the same hazel as his own. Her features were a blend of all of his and Quinn's best. She was a beautiful girl and the pictures that he'd seen had done her little justice.

"Who are you?" She looked at them curiously.

Rachel gave her a small smile. "Is your mom home?"

"Mom!" she yelled at the top of her lungs and within seconds Shelby was walking down the hallway, a small pause in her steps the only indication of her surprise.

"Rachel. Noah." Shelby nodded at them before turning to Beth. "Baby, can you go play in your room?" She watched as the girl ran off before turning back to the pair on her porch. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we come in please?"

Shelby looked at her daughter, her face a mask. "Why?"

"Because we need to talk to you and I honestly do not feel like standing on your porch while we do so."

Shelby looked like she was going to say no for a minute before she stepped back, gesturing them inside. She led them down the hallway and Puck could see that although the house was clean it looked lived in. There were pictures of Beth everywhere, toys scattered on the floor. This was a house where a child was loved. As he glanced at Rachel he could see the pain in her eyes. Damn. Of course it would bother her to see what she had missed out on without knowing Shelby as a child.

Shelby led them into what Puck assumed was the living room where she took a seat in an arm chair, leaving the couch for he and Rachel to sit on. He sat quickly and noticed the distance Rachel kept between them. So much for a united front.

"So what is this all about?"

"It's about our son, your grandson, Nathan." Rachel leaned forward, hands clasped nervously in her lap.

Puck watched as Shelby noticeably bristled. "We discussed this on the phone Rachel. I won't put Beth through that."

"He's at the hospital here in town, you should come and meet him," Puck threw in as he tried to keep his anger in check. "It might make the decision to help us easier."

"What part of 'I don't want to help' do you guys not understand?" Shelby shook her head. "And from what I heard the two of you do not get along, so what's going on? Quinn told me that the pair of you broke up ages ago."

"I'm glad to know that Quinn was keeping you up to date on your daughter's business." Puck knew that his voice was dripping with sarcasm, but who the hell did she think she was? What business of it was hers whether or not they were together? "Nathan was born after Rachel and I split."

"And yet Quinn didn't mention it."

"That's because I kept it from Noah." Rachel's words were spoken so softly that Puck didn't even know if they would carry to Shelby. "It didn't end well and I decided that it would be in the best interest of all parties if I didn't tell him. But as soon as he found out about Nathan and his illness, he's been there for me one hundred percent."

"Which is more than we can say for you." Damn. His mouth was going to get him in some major trouble if he didn't watch it. But shit, he and Rachel still hadn't talked about what had happened between them five years ago and just the mention of it had him on edge. Not to mention Shelby's attitude.

"I just don't see what concern this is of mine."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Puck exploded, shooting up from the couch. "This is your grandson, and Beth? She's my daughter. She could be what saves your grandson from _dying_. Do you understand that? He's fucking dying."

Shelby folded her hands in her lap. "I was never a mother to Rachel so I never expected to have anything to do with her children. And as far as Beth is concerned, she is _my_ daughter, not yours."

"Oh, but that can be remedied."

The mask that Shelby had worn since they walked in the door started to crack. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about taking you to court and having the adoption overturned. You know that they prefer children be with their birth parents."

"You wouldn't." Shelby looked at him and something in his face must have told her that he in fact would. She sneered at him. "No one would give you custody of her. You're a single man who is a cop. That's not at all reliable. But good try."

Puck didn't even know how to respond to that because she was right. A single father who was a cop? That shit would never fly. But damn, he didn't know what else he could say to get her to agree to this.

"They would if we were married." Rachel stood up, putting her hand on his arm. "If we were married they would give us custody."

Shelby looked at her daughter, the shock apparent on her face. "You would do that to me? You would marry him just so that you could rip Beth from the only mother she's ever known?"

"I would do anything for my son."

When Puck glanced down her face was cold, eyes emotionless. She was serious. That was something he hadn't been expecting.

"You call Beth your daughter, but you obviously don't understand what a mother would do for her child if you don't believe that I'd do this. I guess I should've expected as much since you were never a mother to me."

"I think that the two of you should leave now." Shelby stood, the anger vibrating in her voice. "I want you out of my house now."

Puck wrapped his arm around Rachel's shoulder, leading her towards the door. Just before Shelby shut it behind them, he called over his shoulder, "This isn't over."

* * *

Rachel kept it together throughout the entire drive to the hotel and when they were checking in. But when they stepped into the suite they'd be staying in, she felt her resolve slipping. She was exhausted both physically and emotionally. The fight with Shelby had been too much.

She wasn't sure where the words had come from when she'd said she'd marry Puck so that they could get custody of Beth, but she'd had to do something. Rachel understood the worry of a mother not wanting to put her child through anything unnecessary, but Nathan was dying. Why was Shelby being so unreasonable with this? Did she not care about her at all? She'd always thought that there was some part of Shelby that cared at least a little about what happened to her, but after today she just wasn't sure.

"So were you serious?"

Puck's words startled her from her thoughts. She turned to meet his eyes and saw the surprise in them. "I don't know why you're so surprised. What I told Shelby earlier is the truth. I would do anything for Nathan. Even if it meant being in a loveless marriage and taking Beth from her. I would do _anything_."

"Loveless?" Puck scoffed. "We would have the best fucking marriage ever. Don't you remember what we were like in bed?"

"Are you serious? Sex is not love and you know it. Just ask the little tart that you screwed while we were together."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Puck shook his head. "That was five fucking years ago and I told you then that nothing happened between the two of us. You never had any faith in me."

"That is absolutely not true. I had complete faith in you until you blew our relationship to hell." The last weeks of stress, anger and feeling of helplessness all shot to the surface as she stepped closer to him, eyes flashing with anger.

"You didn't believe me when I said that I hadn't cheated so I'd say that meant you had no faith in me."

"And why should I have believed you? Why would she make it up?"

Puck laughed, shaking his head. "Are you still that naïve, Rachel? She wanted to break us up. She wanted you to believe her and throw me out on my ass. The day after you left me she was up my ass. She thought that she stood a chance, but no girl has ever been good enough. Not after you."

"So you're blaming me for your lack of a love life? Just like I'm sure you didn't cheat."

"Fuck you, Rachel. What the hell do I have to do to get you to believe me? You want me to take a fucking lie detector test, I will. I. Did. Not. Cheat."

Rachel shook her head, pushing against his chest. "And I still don't believe you."

Puck let out a growl before grabbing her arm and yanking her to his chest. His lips were on hers before she realized what he'd had planned. Although she meant to pull away, to push his away, she found herself returning the kiss.

The heat, the passion, it was still there. Her entire body felt like it was on fire as his hands slipped under her shirt, yanking it over her head. Her own hands were under his shirt, nailing digging into his back as his lips trailed down her neck.

Her bra was gone before she could even register. His mouth was hot on her breasts as he took one of her nipples into his mouth, lapping at it with his tongue while his hand mimicked the motions on the other.

Somehow Puck had backed her against the couch and when she felt her knees hit the edge she pushed against him, swinging him around so that his back was to the couch before pushing him down onto it. She yanked his shirt over his head, marveling at the still perfect body. She ran her tongue lightly over his nipple, pulling on the nipple ring (yes, he still had it) with her teeth.

Puck hands were busy undoing her pants and sliding them down her legs. She kicked them off along with her shoes before turning back to him with nothing but her lace boy shorts on. She straddled his lap, grinding herself against him through his pants as their lips crashed together once more.

Puck's hand slipped between Rachel's legs, pushing the lace aside. Running a finger along her slit she knew he could tell how much she wanted this. She could feel her juices coating his finger as her hips jerked against him. Her own hands were on his jeans, unbuttoning them and sliding the zipper down.

He immediately popped free and she was thankful that he still went commando. It made this so much easier. He lifted her hips as she slid his pants down so that they weren't in the way. His hands slipped her panties to the side and she quickly slid over him.

She knew that this was a bad idea. She didn't know what he'd been doing for the last five years and here she was having unprotected sex with him, but honestly she didn't care. All she wanted was to feel, to forget the world for a few minutes.

She arched her back, taking him in fully. She held herself there for a moment, enjoying the sensation of being filled. It was just like it had been all those years ago. And then his hands began to urge her to move her hips and she did. She lifted herself up and down his length as he lifted his hips to meet her. She rode him hard and fast.

It wasn't long until she felt the sensations building as she knew she was going to come. Puck obviously knew the signs as well because he reached between them, his thumb flicking over her clit. With just a few more strokes she was falling apart. His name spilled from her lips, her back arching as he slammed up into a few more times until she felt him come inside of her.

She slid bonelessly against him, her head on his chest. Once she was sure she could move, she slid herself off of him and stood. She picked up her clothes and headed for her room without once meeting his eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N:** Okay so it's not the fastest update, but here is the next chapter. I'm glad that everyone seems to be enjoying it and I do appreciate the reviews, favorites and alerts. Enjoy!_

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Puck spent most of the night pacing his room wondering what exactly had happened between him and Rachel. Well obviously they'd had sex, but why? And would it mess up the progress that they'd made? It had been the first time that they'd talked about the past since she'd walked back into his life and he'd ended up fucking her. Was he always going to be a fuck up?

He didn't know when he'd finally fallen asleep, but when he woke up he was in his bed and the sun was shining through the windows. He pulled himself out of bed and headed towards the joint area of their suite. He needed coffee and he needed it now.

He drew up short when he saw Rachel standing next to the coffee pot as it brewed. She glanced up at him once before glancing back towards the pot.

"Morning." His voice was gruff from sleep as he spoke.

"Mmmm," was her only response.

Was she fucking kidding? What was she going to do? Just ignore him? Yeah that shit was not going to fly.

"So last night—"

Her eyes flashed up to meet his as she cut him off, "Last night did not happen Noah."

He laughed. "Ya know, I'm pretty sure that it did happen. I mean I was there and all." He leaned against the counter, leaving just mere inches between them.

"Can we just drop it please?"

"Why? What's wrong, Rachel? You afraid you're going to ruin your good girl reputation? That was ruined years ago when you dated me." He was mad. He didn't want to act like last night hadn't happened and he hated that she was trying to. So he did what he did best – he poked. "You afraid to admit that it was just as good as you remembered?" He inched closer to her.

"Back off, Noah!" Rachel stepped backwards, but he kept advancing on her.

"You can't ignore me, Rachel. I'm part of your life now. You'll have to deal with the consequences of your actions." He reached out to grab her wrist, but she pulled back her arm and slapped him across the face. "What the fuck, Berry?"

"I told you to back off." Her eyes were blazing with anger and he couldn't help but notice how much hotter it made her. "I don't know what you want from me. I was upset, we fought, and then we had sex. End of story. Now leave me alone." She turned her back to him and headed back towards the coffee pot.

"Not end of story, Rachel. Even if you don't want to admit it, hell I don't really want to admit it, there's still something between us."

"Yes, there is and his name is Nathaniel. But besides him there is nothing between us." She poured her coffee and headed for her room, calling over her shoulder, "I'm going to the hospital in an hour if you'd like to join me."

He watched her walk away and couldn't help but think how this was becoming a pattern. She was constantly walking away from him. And no matter how hard he tried he couldn't help but be hurt by her words. There _was_ something between them besides their son and he was damn well going to show her that. He just had to figure out how to get past the wall she'd put up.

* * *

Rachel sighed a sigh of relief once they reached the hospital. At least once they were with Nathan then she didn't have to worry about Puck needling her about what was going on between them. She didn't have an answer for him because she didn't know. She'd told him that the only thing between them was their son, but that wasn't the truth, even if she didn't want to admit it out loud.

But what was she supposed to do? He'd broken her heart five years ago, made it so that she was leery of all men. He still to this day denied that he'd cheated, but how was she supposed to just take his word? He'd lied and cheated before, although never with her. But didn't they say that a leopard could never change its spots? It just made sense that he had cheated. And if he hadn't, well, where did that leave them?

When she pushed open the door to find Nathan sitting up in bed, she smiled. When he spotted her and Puck his face lit up. He was the only thing that mattered in her life.

"Mama!"

"Hey baby boy." Rachel swooped in and kissed his head lightly. "How are you today?"

"I'm great! I made a new friend today."

"Oh? Why don't you tell me about them? Are they sick, too?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, mama. She was old, older than you and dad. But she looked a lot like you."

Rachel's eyes shot up to meet Puck's and saw that he'd had the same thought. Shelby. Oh God, why had she come here?

"And she said she'd be back soon!" He clapped his hands. "She went to get me jello!"

"Well that was nice of her. When did she leave?"

The door swinging open stopped her son from answering, but not from squealing when he saw who it was. "Shelby!"

Rachel felt like her whole world was spinning out of control. She'd never expected Shelby to show up at the hospital after making it adamantly clear that she wanted nothing to do with Rachel or Nathan. So why was she here?

"Hello again, Nathaniel." Shelby smiled as she set the jello in front of the boy. "Jello as ordered." Her eyes slid to Rachel. "Rachel, may I please talk to you and Noah in private?"

Rachel looked first to Puck and then to Nathan before nodding. "Why don't we go down the hall? We'll be right back, baby." She squeezed Nathan's hand before leading the way out of the room.

They'd barely made it out of the room before Puck spun on Shelby. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Shelby didn't even blink. "I was under the impression that the two of you wanted me to meet my grandson, was I incorrect?"

"No," Rachel's voice was quiet and she knew it was shaking. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but why else would Shelby be here unless she was going to agree? "But we were under the impression that you wanted nothing to do with me or my son."

"I did a lot of thinking last night after the two of you left and you were right. I was being selfish and I do want to know my grandson." She turned to meet Rachel's eyes. "And I want to do this for you. Not because you threatened to take Beth away, but because that's what a good mother would do." She turned to Puck. "I don't appreciate you threatening to take her away from me, but I understand." She paused. "But I don't want her to know that you're her father."

Puck's laugh was bitter. "Then how are you going to explain this to her?"

"I'm going to tell her that she's going to help out her nephew."

"Right. The one that she has no blood relation too? That makes no sense, Shelby." Rachel shook her head. "She's old enough to realize that would be unlikely. Eight-year-olds are not stupid."

Shelby's eyes were glassy with unshed tears as she looked between the two. "I just don't want to lose her. What if she meets you and wants to live with you and not me?"

Rachel was shocked. This was the most emotion she'd ever seen from her mother. But this did explain why she hadn't wanted to have Beth tested. She was afraid of losing her little girl. Rachel got that.

Forgiving and forgetting the years that had passed with no contact and the last few weeks where she had refused to help her son, Rachel took Shelby's hand and squeezed. "I know what it's like to worry about losing your child. But Beth loves you. Even if she decides she wants to know Noah or even Quinn, she'll always love you. In your heart you know that."

Shelby looked up at her, the tears finally falling down her cheeks. "Isn't it supposed to be the mother comforting the daughter and giving her the advice?"

"We've never been a normal family." Rachel smiled at her once again and as she looked over at Puck, she knew he understood.

"So, ummm...I'm gonna go hang out with the kid. You guys talk or whatever," Puck muttered before turning and heading back into Nathan's room.

* * *

Once Shelby had agreed to have Beth tested, things started moving very quickly, maybe a little too quickly for all of their tastes. Within just a few weeks Puck had been introduced to a child he hadn't known he had, and now he was going to be introduced to the child that he'd given up when he was little more than a child himself. And shit, he was nervous. Which of course he knew was dumb because he'd already seen her at Shelby's house, but she hadn't known that he was her dad.

Quinn and Sam had driven up with their brood after they'd all agreed that it would be best if Beth met both him and Quinn at the same time. They were all meeting at Shelby's and then heading to the hospital so that Beth could meet Nathan and be tested. And he was scared shitless.

"Noah, it's going to be okay." Rachel squeezed his hand.

He turned to look at her and saw that she truly believed that. They had been sitting in the car outside of Shelby's house for the last ten minutes and this was the first time that she'd spoken. He knew that they needed to go inside, but he hadn't been able to talk himself into it.

"Come on, let's go inside. You can do this, Noah. You know that."

She had more confidence in him than he had in himself, but she was right about one thing: they needed to go inside. With a sigh he pushed open the door and waited for her to exit the passenger side before they headed up to the door together.

He stood frozen, unable to bring himself to knock so Rachel leaned forward and did it for him. It was only moments before the door swung open to reveal Shelby.

"I was wondering how long the two of you were planning on sitting in the car."

Puck shrugged. There wasn't anything that he could say. He didn't want to explain to her why he'd been so afraid to come inside.

"Well come along. Quinn and Sam are in the living room." She led them to the room that they'd sat in the last time and he hoped that the welcome would be better than the last time they'd been there. Not that it hadn't worked out in the end, but they hadn't known that.

"I'm just going to go grab some drinks for everyone. Juice okay?" At everyone's nod, Shelby headed out of the room, leaving them alone.

"Hey baby mama. Sam." He nodded at the two who quickly stood. He wrapped his arms around Quinn, pulling her close. He could tell she was just as worried as he was by how tense her body was. "It's going to be okay," he whispered before pulling away and bumping fists with Sam.

Rachel cleared her throat causing the group to turn to her. She was looking shyly on and Puck knew that she felt like an outsider. He reached over and pulled her over to them. "You guys remember Rachel, my other baby mama, of course."

Sam swept her into a hug which Puck could tell shocked her. She and Sam had never been close, but that's just the kind of guy he was. He wanted everyone to be comfortable and happy and to him that meant hugs. Which yes, Puck gave him so much hell for. Then she and Quinn uncomfortably embraced. Things had never been overly good between them even when they'd tried to be friends.

"So where are the munchkins?" Puck asked as led Rachel to the loveseat and they sat.

"Outside." Quinn smiled. "Isabelle is so excited to have another girl to play with that she won't leave Beth alone." Quinn rolled her eyes. "But I guess that's what happens when you have two little brothers."

"We'll try for a girl the next time." Sam laughed as Quinn shoved an elbow into his side.

Puck turned to Rachel. "I don't know who all you've kept in touch with from Glee, but Sam and Quinn got married the year after graduation and had Isabelle later that year. She's almost six, right?" At Quinn's nod he continued, "Then they had Blake and Avery a few years later. They're three. And all blonde little angels." He snickered.

"Puck, do not try and say that my children are badly behaved." Quinn rolled her eyes. "It's your fault that they get riled up when you come to visit."

Sam laughed with her. "It's true, Puck. You know how to rile up children."

After that there was a pause in the conversation before Shelby stood up. "I guess I should go get Beth. Do you want me to have your little ones come in?"

Quinn shook her head. "No, keep them outside. It's going to be harder to explain to them and I'd rather wait until we go back to the hotel room."

Shelby nodded before turning and heading from the room. And just like that the dread was back. What if Beth hated them? What if she wanted nothing to do with them? Could he deal with that? His eyes shot up to meet Quinn's. Hell, could Quinn handle that? In all the times he'd imagined meeting his daughter it had never been like this. Never.

And then she was there, standing in the doorway. Nine years old and such a beautiful little girl, looking around at them all in confusion. "What's going on, Mom?" She spoke to Shelby and Puck saw Quinn flinch. He had to guess that it was hard for her to hear her daughter calling someone else "Mom."

"We need to talk to you, baby. Why don't you come in and sit down?"


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:** Hello all! Here is another chapter. Know that we are nearing the end of this story and I hope that you are enjoying. Thanks again for the reviews, favorites and alerts. Also I would like to say that there were some concerns raised about my last chapter when Rachel and Puck threatened to take Shelby about taking away Beth. First this is just a story so I am able to do things that are not actually done in real life and second although it is rare adopted children can be taken away from their adoptive parents and placed back into the care of their biological parents. Now that I've cleared that up onto the story! Please feel free to comment with support or feedback of any kind! =)_

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The room was quiet and tension radiated in the air. Even Beth knew that something was off. She turned to Shelby, a question in her eyes. "What is going on?"

"Well, you know how I told you that I adopted you from your parents because they were just too young to take care of you?" Shelby waited until Beth nodded before she continued, "We decided that it was time for you to meet them."

Beth's head swung around as she took in the four people who sat across the room from them. "Well who is it?" Her voice was serious, but calm. There seemed to be no malice there, no anger, and that made Rachel feel better.

Rachel stood and went to kneel before Beth. "Hi Beth, I'm Rachel. I'm actually your sister."

Beth's eyes shot to Shelby who nodded. "So you're my mom's daughter?" When Rachel nodded she smiled. "So that makes you my big sister. I've always wanted a big sister."

Rachel felt the tears sting in her eyes as the little girl wrapped her arms around Rachel's neck and hugged her. When she pulled away, Rachel hurried back to the her seat, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall. This wasn't supposed to be about her, but she wanted to try and put everyone at ease. To break the tension she'd done the first thing she could think of. Now it was up to the rest of them.

Beth's eyes slid to Quinn. "I guess that makes you my mom." She glanced up at Shelby. "Well, my other mom."

"Yes, I'm Quinn." She looked like she wanted to say more, but she choked on her words and the tears that ran down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

Beth stood slowly and walked over to Quinn before sitting beside her on the couch. "Don't be sorry." She wrapped her small arms around Quinn's shaking body. "You gave me to my mom who loves me more than anything in the world. How can that be a bad thing?"

Rachel was surprised by the young girl's words as they sounded so grown up. But she was right. Quinn and Puck hadn't done anything wrong by giving her up, in fact they'd done the best thing for all parties involved. When Puck let out a rush of breath she knew he was relieved that his daughter was being so accepting. She'd known how worried he was about her reaction.

Beth pulled away from Quinn, looking over at Sam. "Are you my dad?"

"No." Sam shook his head. "Your mom had you before I met her. But I'm Sam."

Beth's eyes glanced at Puck before turning back to Quinn and Sam. "So Isabelle, Blake, and Avery are my brothers and sisters too?"

Quinn nodded. "Yes they are. They don't know that yet though. We're going to tell them tonight after we leave."

"Leave?" Beth squeaked. "You're leaving already?"

Quinn ran a hand over the girl's head. "No, we're just going to a hotel. We plan on being here for a few weeks so you can get to know us and your brothers and sister."

Beth nodding, noticeably calming down. "Well that's okay then." Finally she turned back to Puck. "I guess that makes you my dad then. I've never had one of those."

Rachel watched as Puck sat up straighter. "Well, I'll always be your dad and if you ever need me I'll be there."

Beth sat where she was and Rachel wasn't sure why she wasn't coming to Puck as she had both she and Quinn, but she knew that he had to be wondering the same thing. Just then a sniffle came from the girl as she flew across the room and into Puck's lap. "I've always wanted a daddy," she sobbed. Tears were running down her cheeks as she curled herself into Puck. Puck held her, but when he looked up, his eyes were bewildered.

Suddenly Shelby was there and taking Beth into her arms. She whispered soothing words to her as she sat down in the chair with the girl in her lap. They all sat uncomfortably shifting around as they waited for Beth to calm down. It only took a few minutes before the girl quieted. "Are you okay now?"

Beth sat up and nodded as her face turned a faint pink. "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, honey. We know that this is a lot to take in." Shelby paused. "And unfortunately there's more."

"What?" She paused. "Wait." She turned to Puck. "You didn't tell me your name."

"Puck...or, well, it's actually Noah, but I go by Puck."

Beth nodded before turning back to Shelby. "Now what?"

"Well Rachel and your dad...they were a couple a few years ago and they had a son."

"So wait...I have a brother who is also my nephew?" She pumped her fist in the air. "That is so awesome."

Rachel shook her head. Beth definitely had some of Puck in her, there was no arguing that point. But she had no idea how the girl was going to take the rest of the news.

"That's exactly it." Puck stood slowly before going to kneel in front of Shelby and Beth. "His name is Nathaniel, but we call him Nathan 'cause that's quite a mouthful, isn't it?"

Beth nodded, leaning forward so that she was almost touching Puck.

"Well Nathan, he's sick." Puck paused. "And he needs your help."

"My help? How can I help?"

"He needs something called a bone marrow transplant and the best matches come from brothers or sisters. So we're hoping that you'd be willing to get tested."

"Of course! If he's sick and I can make him better, why wouldn't I?" Beth was honestly confused by the concept.

"Because the test will hurt, a lot." Puck leaned forward, tapping her hipbone. "They have to stick a big needle right there to get the bone marrow."

Beth flinched at the word needle, but quickly pulled herself together before their eyes. "I don't care. I want to help my baby brother slash nephew." She grinned, throwing herself into Puck's arms once again.

This time Rachel watched as Puck pulled Beth into her arms and held her close, even smelling her hair once before she pulled away. "I'm so glad that I have a daddy now." Beth turned to look at Shelby. "Can I go play now?"

Shelby nodded and once Beth was gone from the room, she sighed. "Well that went a lot better than I had expected."

* * *

It was a few hours later and they were once again at the hospital. Puck was beginning to realize that as a parent of a sick child, this was where you spent most of your time and it fucking sucked. They tried to make the pediatric ward more cheerful for the kids, but it was still a cold, sterile place and he wanted nothing more than to have his son out of there. But now he had not one, but two kids at the hospital (although Beth was only there to be tested.)

He and Rachel were standing outside of the room where she was being tested and he flinched as he heard Beth's cries. Having that needle pushed into your bone fucking hurt and he wished that there was something that he could do to take the hurt away, but he knew that it was necessary.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shut out the sound but couldn't. And then suddenly Rachel was wrapping herself around him, arms around his waist and head on his chest. On reflex he brought his own arms around her. Feeling her body flush against him sent sensations through his body and straight to his crotch. Well, he'd wanted a distraction and now he had one, just not one that he necessarily wanted. He was going to have to start watching what he wished for, but for now he just clung to her.

Several minutes later the door opened and Shelby stepped outside with the doctor right behind her. "How is she?" he asked.

"She's doing about as well as can be expected." Shelby shrugged. "She's resting."

Rachel pulled away from him and wrapped her arms around her mother. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Puck watched as the surprise registered on Shelby's face before she reciprocated. "You're welcome."

Puck turned to the doctor. "How long until we'll have the results?"

"We'll put a rush on it, but it'll probably be tomorrow before we know anything." The doctor, an older woman who reminded Puck of his Nana, had been nothing but nice to them since they'd arrived. For whatever reason he couldn't remember her name – he just wanted to call her Nana.

Puck shook his head, trying to clear out his thoughts—what the fuck was wrong with him? Must be lack of sleep mixed with stress. When Rachel's small hand slipped into his, he smiled down at her, trying to reassure her of something that he couldn't guarantee. No matter how much they wanted Beth to be a match, they couldn't be sure until the tests were back.

"We should go see Noah." Rachel turned back to Shelby. "When Beth is feeling up to it, the two of you should come by. I know he'd love to meet Beth and he really took to you."

"We'll be along in a few minutes." Shelby smiled before slipping back into the room that Beth was currently occupying, leaving Puck and Rachel in the hallway.

"It's going to work out, Rachel. Even if Beth isn't a match then we'll find someone who is." Puck squeezed her hand in his again.

Rachel looked up at him and he watched as the tears pooled in her eyes. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because there is no way that God would let my son die so soon after I met him." Puck tried to smile, but couldn't bring himself to do so.

"I'm sorry, Noah."

"For what, babe?" He draped his arm over her shoulder as they started down the hallway towards their son's room.

"For keeping Nathan a secret from you. I was completely in the wrong and am quite appalled at myself for doing so."

This time Puck did crack a smile, because no matter the situation Rachel could always find a way to sound like a talking dictionary. Although he had noticed that she didn't do it nearly as often as she had back in high school. "I can't say that it's okay because it's not, but what's in the past is in the past and I just want to focus on the present. We can't dwell on the past, babe. It'll drive us crazy. So I forgive you." He kissed the top of her head.

Rachel stopped suddenly, looking up to meet his eyes. "You really mean that, don't you?"

"Absolutely." Puck shrugged. "What good does it do Nathan for us to hate each other?"

He didn't understand the look that crossed her face, but she was nodding. "You're one hundred percent correct. It will not do him a bit of good for us to be arguing all of the time."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Okay, well if you're done talking now, I'd really like to see my kid."

Rachel let out a bark of a laugh before nodding. "Yes, let us go see _your_ kid."

* * *

The meeting between Beth and Nathan had gone over really well. They'd instantly taken to one another and Nathan had not been at all surprised to find out that Shelby was his grandmother. He was still a bit young to understand that Beth was not only his sister, but his aunt, so they'd decided on her being his sister. And it hadn't been the adults who decided, it had been Beth and Nathan.

Both had apparently been desperate for a sibling and now had one (or in Beth's case four). When Rachel had noticed how tired Nathan was looking she'd made noises about leaving and Shelby had quickly left with Beth, promising to come back for a visit soon.

Now they were tucking their son in so that he could go to sleep, and Puck wished once again that Nathan wasn't in the hospital. He wanted to tuck his son into a real bed, a bed in his home. And that was a shock for him to think about. How would Nathan fit into his life? What would happen once Nathan was better? Would they share custody? Would Rachel allow him to see his son? Of course she would. He knew that she was genuinely sorry keeping Nathan from him, so he wasn't really worried about her doing the same once he was better.

As he watched Rachel lean over and kiss Nathan, another thought crossed his mind. What would happen if Nathan didn't get better? Even he had noticed how pale Nathan was looking, how his appetite had diminished to next to nothing, and how he tired so easily. What if he died? No matter the brave front that he put on for Rachel, he knew that it was still a possibility. How would he deal with losing a son he barely knew?


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:** So wow, I didn't realize how super super super short this chapter was. The good news about that is that this means I will be updating again within the next few days since this is really nothing much more than a teaser. Lol. But it's a **very** important part and I'm not big on combining chapters so please read & review. Will update again soon! =)_

* * *

After leaving the hospital, Puck and Rachel had headed back to the hotel where they'd met up with Sam, Quinn, and their kids for dinner. It had been nice to catch up with them, at least for Puck. He knew that Rachel had been slightly uncomfortable, but she and Quinn had warmed up to one another fairly quickly and it was hard to be uncomfortable around Sam for long. By the time they were heading up to their rooms, they were all a little tipsy from the shared bottles of wine.

"Noah."

"Yes, Berry?" He glanced down at Rachel who was leaning against the side of the elevator. Quinn and Sam, along with their three very tired children, had gotten off three floors below them and Puck and Rachel were waiting for it to stop on theirs.

Rachel pushed herself off of the wall as the elevator dinged to let them know they'd reached their destination. "I want to talk to you."

"Short stuff, I hate to tell you, but you're already talking to me." He laughed as he led her towards the room.

Her hand swung out and thunked against his chest. "That is not what I meant at all and you know it, Puckerman."

Puck snickered. "Maybe, but it's so much fun giving you shit."

"Must you curse so much? It's really quite inappropriate." Rachel sniffed as she pushed into their room, sitting none too gracefully onto the couch.

"Must you always have that stick up your ass?"

Rachel's eyes shot up to his. "You're an arrogant, crass...jerk."

"It's okay, Berry. You can say it. Asshole. Ass – hole. Say it, Berry."

Rachel stomped her foot. "Fine, you're an asshole." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Does that make you feel better? That I call you an asshole? I don't know what your obsession with profanity is, but it better not rub off on our son because I will kill you."

Puck glanced at her before shaking his head. "Do you always ramble when you're drunk?"

"I am NOT drunk. I am slightly intoxicated, but I have all of my facilities about me."

"Yeah that just didn't make any sense to me." Puck sat down in the chair that was beside the couch Rachel was sitting on.

"That's because you're a baboon."

Puck laughed again. "Are we done calling me names, because if not I think I'm just going to head to bed."

"No." Rachel's hand shot out, grabbing his arm. "I'm sorry. That is not the reason I wanted to talk to you at all." She dropped her hand once he returned to his seat, wringing it with her other in her lap.

She was quiet for so long that Puck thought she might have fallen asleep. What the hell was up with her tonight? It had been a long day and tomorrow was going to be even longer until they got the test results. Maybe he should just drag her to bed because he was sure that whatever she wanted to talk about could wait until the next day. "Rach?"

Her eyes shot up to his and he read the panic in them. And now she was freaking him the fuck out. "Rachel, what's going on?"

"I've spent most of the day thinking Noah because what else is there to do?" She shook her head. "But I started really thinking after you and I talked earlier today when you told me that you forgave me for not telling you about Nathan. And if you can forgive me for that then why can't I forgive you for what you did – or didn't do to me?" She paused, meeting his eyes once again. "I'm going to forgive you Noah for cheating or not cheating, it doesn't matter. But if you say you didn't cheat then I'm going to believe you. You have no reason to lie about it any longer so I believe you."

He was fucking floored. Out of all of the things that he'd been expecting this wasn't even in the top one hundred. But it was about fucking time. He had never cheated on her and he hoped that she truly meant what she was saying because that meant that they might be able to get along for Nathan's sake.

"Thank you, Rachel." Puck took her hand into his and squeezed lightly.

She smiled up at him though it wavered at the sides. "I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning?" She stood slowly, pulling her hand from his as she did so.

With one more quick smile she walked to her room, leaving him sitting in his chair reeling. Because he'd just realized that he still fucking loved her.


	9. Chapter 9

**_AN:_**_ As promised - a quick update. I hope that everyone is still loving the story as I had a great time writing this one. We are ever so close to the end now. And I should give a warning, this chapter does get a little sad. =( Remember - read and review!_

* * *

Dr. Harvey hadn't been kidding when she'd said that it was going to be a rough couple of days for Nathan. Puck spent a week wanting to hit someone, throw something, or anything really just to get out all of the anger of watching his son go through chemo. He was so weak every day and it just got worse. All he could do was sit by as his son vomited everything that he'd eaten that day until there was nothing left so all he could do was dry heave. He was pale and slept most of the day. He wasn't up for visitors although everyone stopped regardless. It was like he was a ghost of the boy that he'd met.

Rachel assured him that this was normal, par for the course of chemo and he was thankful that he hadn't been there before because he was sure that he would've killed someone. But at the same time he was sorry that he hadn't been able to be there for Rachel while she was watching Nathan go through this. It wasn't something any parent should have to do alone.

But it was finally time for the transplant and all he could do was thank God that it was time. He'd sat by Beth's bed after her procedure, but the doctor had also been right about her. She'd been up and about just days after the procedure.

They'd moved Nathan into a sterile room and they were all required to stay outside while Dr. Harvey attached the IV that would transplant Beth's marrow into Nathan's system. They would be allowed into the room a little later in the day, but for now Dr. Harvey didn't want anything to upset the boy. Once the transplant was complete they would be allowed inside, but only after donning the sterile outfits that were being provided.

Puck knew that this was for Nathan's benefit, that they were trying to do everything that they could to prevent him from getting sick, but it was driving him crazy. He'd never been a patient person and this waiting was killing him. And he was pretty sure that he was doing the same to everyone else.

"Noah, you need to stop pacing. You're making me nervous." Rachel was sitting in a chair, hands clasped in her lap as she watched him pace the floor.

"I don't know what else to do. I feel useless, helpless, and I fucking hate it." Puck stopped his pacing to lean his forehead against the wall and it felt cool against him warm skin. When he got agitated his body temperature spiked.

Rachel sighed and he felt her eyes on him. "Maybe you should leave for awhile. Go see your mom and sister. I'm sure that they'd love to see you."

"They see me all the damn time now that we've rented that house. Shit, they see me more now than they did when I lived in Lima."

"Look if you can't calm down then you have to leave. I'm nervous enough as it is." Rachel shook her head, drawing his attention to her. "I can't have you working me up anymore."

"Oh, I bet that I can work you up real good, Berry."

He watched as her cheeks reddened as she glanced around quickly to see if anyone was within earshot. "Noah, I really do not feel that this is the time for those types of comments. Not that any time is really appropriate, but especially now."

Puck walked over to sit next to her, leaning back into the seat with his arm over the back of her chair. "Just trying to lighten the mood, babe. Isn't that what you want? For me not to be freaking out? The best way for me to do that is to hit on you."

Rachel laughed. "And you really find that appropriate?"

"Shit, I never said I was appropriate. In fact I'm probably the most inappropriate person you'll find. But that's what you love about me."

When her eyes shot up to meet his he saw something there, but it was gone in a flash. The look she'd given him was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. "Incorrigible."

"Yes, it's because I'm incorrigible that you keep me around." Puck nodded, pulling her close to his side.

"Of course, what other reason could I ever want to keep you around besides the inappropriate sexual innuendos that you're constantly making?"

This time it was Puck's turn to laugh. "Well I can think of a LOT of reasons you'd want to keep me around. In fact I'll be happy to show you a few right now." The only response he got was an elbow to his ribs.

* * *

The first few days following the transplant went well. Nathan's color started coming back and he was awake more often. They began to get their hopes up as they improved, but Puck should have known that something was going to go wrong. Because that was just the way life was. One minute you're on top of the world and the next you've bottomed out. It was a vicious cycle and it was something that he needed to remember.

It was five days after the transplant that Nathan spiked a fever. It was around 104 and the doctors couldn't figure out why. He was on antibiotics and anti-rejection drugs so nothing should have gone wrong, but it did. Medications were changed and there was still no change. By the end of the night on the sixth day Nathan was in a coma.

"Rach..."

"Just leave me alone." Rachel voice was choked with tears, her head buried on the bed next to Nathan's hand.

"C'mon, babe." Puck touched her shoulder lightly but she jerked away. "Rachel, you're not going to do him any good if you pass out from exhaustion and lack of food."

Rachel sat up, tears still falling down her face. "You want me to eat, to sleep, while my son is lying in a coma?"

"_Our_ son, Rachel. He's our son. And I expect you to take care of yourself so that when he wakes up you're not in the hospital yourself." Puck flinched because it had come out sounding harsher than he'd meant for it to.

"I can't leave him. What if he wakes up and I'm not here? What if he wakes up crying for me and I'm not here?"

Puck knelt down in front of her. "I'm worried, too. I'm not suggesting that we just up and leave. I think we should go down to the cafeteria, get some food and then see if they'll let us bring some cots in here or we can pass out in the chairs. It doesn't matter. We've just got to eat and sleep or our bodies are going to give out."

Even as he spoke, Puck felt like he was in some alternative universe. He'd never thought that he'd see the day where he was giving Rachel advice on how to be healthy. But he'd watched her fall apart and Nathan's condition had gone from good to bad to worse in a matter of hours. It tore at him to watch as his son deteriorated so rapidly that the boy that lay in the bed looked nothing like the Nathan he'd known.

It scared the shit out of him to think about how he might not wake up. Dr. Harvey had explained that somehow an infection had set in and due to his suppressed immune system, it had spread rapidly. She'd also informed them that the bone marrow wasn't engrafting correctly. He hadn't known what the fuck she was talking about and he'd said just as much so she'd explained that Nathan's body was trying to reject the marrow. They'd tried multiple medications, but so far nothing had been able to knock out the infection nor stop the rejection. And then she'd told them to prepare for the worst.

Prepare for the worst? How did a parent prepare for the fact that their child might die? He couldn't even begin to think about what it would be like if Nathan died. And as he led Rachel from the room he tried to push the thought from his mind, but it wouldn't go.

It wasn't until they were seated with food in front of them that he realized that Rachel had been thinking along the same lines as he had. She was pushing the food around her plate as she stared down at it when she spoke. "What if he dies?"

He looked up at her and even as his mouth opened he knew that he had no idea. He had no idea what to say to her. He knew that he should try and make her feel better, try to get her to see that their son still had a chance, but he couldn't. He couldn't because he was wondering the same thing. "I don't know, Rach."

"He's my baby boy and...well, thanks to me you've barely gotten to know him. I can't lose him. Not after all that we've been through." As she spoke she refused to meet his eye, looking everywhere but at him. "I don't even know what I would do if he died." Suddenly she looked up and met his eye. "Would you hate me if he died?"

"Hate you?" What the fuck was she talking about? "Why would I hate you?"

"For keeping him from you for all of those years. If he died then you never would have really gotten to know him."

Puck paused. She was right. He would have every right in the world to hate her, but as he looked at her he couldn't find it in himself to do so. "I couldn't ever hate you. I couldn't even hate you for the last five years." He paused again. "I'd hate to think of all of the things that I'd miss out with him. I'd never get to teach him how to catch a football, how to win a fight or how to score with a babe. I'd never get to play with him at the park or throw him a party, teach him to drive." With every passing minute, with each word Puck felt the realization sinking in that it was altogether possible that he could never get to do any of these things with his son. They weren't just words, they could be the truth. And it hurt. It felt like someone had taken a knife to his heart.

"Fuck, Rach. He can't die. I can't let him die without knowing what a great dad I could be. Without me being able to see what kind of dad I could be." He didn't know when it had happened, but he'd stopped looking at Rachel and had been staring down at the table and Rachel's hand on his drew his attention back to her. "We can't think like this."

"I don't know what I'd do without you here to calm me down." She paused, wiping the tears from her face. "I need to tell you something. I know that I told you that I forgave you, that I believed you about cheating but I didn't. There was some little part of me that wouldn't let it go. That's why I've been avoiding you." She glanced down at their entwined hands. "Because if it wasn't true then I had thrown the best thing besides Nathan that had ever happened to me away. And every day I've wondered about that, wondered about what would've happened if we'd stayed together and raised Nathan together." She raised her eyes to met his again. "And no matter how hard I tried I couldn't stop loving you."

Puck felt like he'd been run over by a truck. First he'd opened his heart about his fears of Nathan dying and he never getting a chance to be a real father to him and then Rachel revealing that she still loved him, that she'd thought of him every day since their split. It was all too much and he felt like the room was closing in on him. He just couldn't deal.

He quickly stood, not meeting Rachel's eyes. "I need some air." He tried to ignore the pain in his chest as her shoulders shook and the tears fell down her face. He knew what she was looking for. She wanted him to tell her that he still loved her, which he did, but he wasn't ready for this conversation. He wasn't ready to turn his life upside down anymore than it already was. So he just walked away.

* * *

It was hours later when his phone vibrated, telling him that he had a new message. It was from Rachel and he'd been so tempted to ignore it, but how could he with Nathan in such bad shape?

_Get to the hospital asap. He's getting worse._

Well fuck. Not only had he walked away from Rachel, leaving her sitting there in tears but then she'd had to deal with their son's condition worsening on her own. What kind of an asshole was he? His mom would beat the living shit out of him if she found out.

He quickly exited the bar that he'd found up the road from the hospital and started walking back. He'd probably had a little too much to drink to be going back, but if she said Nathan was getting worse then he wanted to be there.

Fifteen minutes later he was suited up and heading into Nathan's room. The first thing he noticed was Rachel sitting next to Nathan's bed, head buried in the covers beside him and her shoulders shaking. The second thing that he noticed was that there were more machines in there than the last time they'd been in there.

"Rach?"

Rachel's head shot up and she was in his arms in seconds. Her entire body was trembling and his shirt was soaked from her tears, but she didn't speak.

"Rach, babe. What's going on?" What the fuck had her so rattled that she couldn't even talk? Hell, she always had something to say.

Slowly she pulled back from him, looking up into his face. "Nathan coded about an hour ago, but the doctors were able to resuscitate him. They told me that there's a good chance that he won't make it through the night, that we should say our goodbyes." She shook her head. "He died, only for a few seconds, but he died Noah. I can't lose my baby boy."

Puck pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her as he laid a kiss on the top of her head. "We're not going to lose him and we will _not_ say goodbye because that's giving up. We'll just wait here by his side until he wakes up. Because he will wake up. You know any kid that we have would be a fighter, so don't give up on him yet."

Rachel pulled away enough to look up at him again. "Thank you. That's what I needed to hear."


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N:_**_ So this chapter is the second to last of the story. It gets a wee bit graphic towards the end - my muse is a pervert, what can I say. We're so close to the end and I'm hoping that you are still enjoying it. =)_

* * *

It was just a waiting game. That's what Dr. Harvey told them the morning after Nathan had coded. They were waiting to see if the change in medications would allow their son to live. Puck knew that both he and Rachel were on edge waiting for something to happen, waiting for something to change. But still Nathan remained in a coma, seeming to not get any better or worse.

It had already been a week and Puck knew that both he and Rachel needed a break. Time to get away from it all. So he called in reinforcements in the form of Quinn, Sam, his mom, and Abby. Between them they planned an evening that might not allow them to forget what was happening in their lives, but maybe to at least push it aside for a few hours.

It took a lot of convincing, but he was able to get Rachel to leave the hospital and put on a dress. He wouldn't tell her what they were doing and he could tell it was driving her crazy.

"Noah, you know I hate surprises."

Puck laughed. "No you don't, you love surprises. You just like to act like you hate them so that people will tell you what you want to know. I've known you far too long for you to try and pull that over on me, Berry."

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest, sinking down in her seat and full on pouted. It was all he could do not to laugh. If there was one thing he could say about Rachel it was that she knew how to pout. "Pouting is not going to help you. You'll find out when we get there."

And they were almost there, but he wasn't about to tell her that and ruin his fun. Another thing that hadn't changed was his need to be a pain in her ass. If she didn't make it so easy he might not enjoy it so much, but there was no changing it now.

He pulled up in front of the restaurant and parked. It didn't look like much, just a run down building in a not so great part of town, but he'd been told that it had the best food in town. Santa Rosa Cafe was raved about by locals and he wasn't even sure how his mom and Abby had found out about it, but they swore by it. It helped matters that they had private dining rooms, one of which he'd been able to procure for his and Rachel's evening out.

"You drug me out of the hospital and made me get dressed up for this run-down shack?" Rachel's voice rose with indignation.

Puck chuckled. "Calm down, Berry. This is just the first stop of the night and it's really not a run-down shack. When did you turn into such a snob?"

She turned her head away from him, nose in the air and it was all he could do to not laugh. "I am _not_ a snob."

"Right." Puck shook his head as he exited the car. "Well then, come on."

He watched as she took her time exiting the car and he knew that she knew she was doing it on purpose. It was something she'd always done to make a point that she was doing something that she didn't want to. He held her door for her, took her by the arm and led her into restaurant. Once inside, he saw Rachel perk up. He'd known that she'd love the dimly lit, romantic feel of the place. "Puckerman for two." He smiled at the hostess as she took out two menus and led them around the tables and down a hallway. She pushed open the door to the private room, nodding for them to go ahead.

It was more than he'd been hoping for. The entire back wall was a window that overlooked dense forest and the room was lit by candles and fairy lights (fuck you, so what if he knew what they were called). Beside the table sat a bottle of champagne chilling.

"Oh, Noah. It's beautiful." Rachel clutched as his arm, a smile breaking out on her face as she looked up at him. And he knew that for a moment she was forgetting the heartache that had been their lives for the last few days.

"I'm glad you like it." He pulled her chair out, pushing her forward after she'd sat just as his mother had taught him. He was going to pull out all of the stops tonight because they'd reached a point where they needed to decide what was going on between them. He loved her and knew that she loved him, but was it enough? That's really what the night was about.

They spent the evening talking as they ate and drank, the conversation never steering towards anything too serious. It was like a casual meal between friends, but he didn't want to push her. At least not yet. They talked about the weather, sports, and their hometown, everyday things that put them at ease.

Once they'd finished eating, he sat back in his chair and just looked at her. She was even more beautiful than she'd been when they'd first started dating all of those years ago. There was something special about Rachel and she'd been in his mind (and his heart) for so long.

He took her hand in his, squeezing lightly. "Rach," he started, not really knowing what it was that he wanted to say. "I know that there is so much going on right now, but I need to know…do we have a chance?" He paused. "I love you, I always have, and I want to be with you."

Her eyes were shining with unshed tears as she looked up at him. He couldn't read anything in her eyes and it was driving him crazy. She just sat there quietly, watching him. He thought he would go crazy when finally she spoke. "Noah, how can you ask this of me now? With all that is going on with Nathan?"

"That's exactly why I have to ask. I love you and I love my son. I want us to be a family."

"And what if he never wakes up?" She closed her eyes as the tears spilled down her cheeks. "How can you ask me to promise you something when we don't know what is going to happen to him?"

He stood quickly, going to kneel beside her chair. "You can't think like that Rachel. And we can't base _us_ on Nathan. If we do this, we do it for us not for him. Because two people being together for a child isn't good for anyone, especially that child."

Rachel shook her head, trying to push him away as she did so. "You can't ask me this. I can't deal with it."

"And I can't deal with the not knowing. What do you want from me Rachel?"

Later he'd still have no idea exactly what happened, but somehow Rachel ended up in his lap, legs straddling him and lips on his. His hands were cupping her ass as she ground against him. Her hands were under his shirt, nails digging into his back.

"Does the door lock?" Her voice was raspy with lust as she glanced towards the door.

"Fuck if I know." He set her back on her chair, standing and quickly locking the door. He heard a rustle and when he turned he found Rachel standing there in nothing but her red lace bra and panties with her red fuck me heels. He lost all coherent thought.

He was on her in seconds, pushing her against the wall as she yanked up his shirt. He unclasped her bra, pushing it to the floor as her little hands went to work on his belt. His head bent to take first one nipple and then the other into his mouth. He bit lightly, smirking at the noise she made.

He pushed his pants down and kicked them off before sliding her panties down her legs slowly as he placed open-mouthed kisses on the inside of her thighs. Once they hit her ankles she kicked them free, spreading her legs further apart to allow him access. Her hands gripped at his scalp, nails digging in as he traced her center with his tongue.

"So hot...and wet." He grinned up at her before she pushed on his head. He happily obliged, burying his tongue deep within her as his thumb began a tempo on her clit. It took barely any time at all before she coming, making the hottest mewling noises he'd ever heard.

He stood quickly, lifting her by her hips and wrapping one leg around him as he buried himself in one stroke. He took her hard and fast, slamming her into the wall with each thrust. They came in a rush before sliding to the floor, boneless.

He pulled her into his arms, lying a kiss on the top of her head. "I really do love you, Rach."

"I love you, too." She slowly pulled away enough so that she could meet his eyes. "And you're right. We need to make a decision about us and I think that we should give it a try."

And with those words she'd made his night. He could've cared less about the sex, it didn't mean anything if she didn't want to be with him. But the fact that she loved him and wanted to try again meant the world to him. His kissed her lightly, knowing that although they were just beginning again, there were many roadblocks already awaiting them.


	11. Chapter 11

_**AN: **Well this is it kiddos. I really hope that you've enjoyed this story because this is the very last chapter =( Sadness I know, but I hope that you adore the ending as much as you have the rest of the story!_

* * *

The next morning they were lying in bed after satisfying one another when the phone rang. Its shrill noise jarred them from their afterglow and Puck watched as Rachel scrambled across the bed to grab her phone. With one glance at the screen, her face went white.

"What is it, babe?"

"It's the hospital," she choked out and he could see her hand visibly shaking.

"Do you want me to answer it?"

Rachel shook her head once before taking a deep breath and flipping it open. "Rachel Berry." She paused for a moment, her expression blank before her eyes slid shut and tears began to slide down her cheeks. "Mmmhmm, yes I understand. Thank you for calling."

Puck felt his heart drop as he watched her flip close the phone. The only thought that was running through his mind was that their son was dead – had to be. Why else would she be crying? And fuck if it didn't tear him in two, but he had to hear it from her. He had to be sure.

"Babe?" He touched her arm lightly.

When she turned to him a small smile lit up her face though her eyes were still glassy from unshed tears. "He's awake. Nathan's awake."

"Oh thank God." Puck took her into his arms, holding her to him while he sent up every prayer of thanks that he could think of. His son was alive.

* * *

They'd made it to the hospital within the hour and as they stood outside of Nathan's door, Rachel squeezed Puck's hand. When the phone had rang this morning she had been so sure that their son was dead, that they'd lulled themselves into a false sense of happiness by getting back together and were now going to have the death of Nathan crushing their hopes to oblivion.

She knew she had freaked Puck out when she started crying, but she hadn't been able to keep the tears of joy from sliding down her face. They were finally going to get the chance to be the family that they should have been from the beginning. The were going to get a second chance and this time she was determined to do nothing to mess it up.

She pushed the door open and felt tears welling up in her eyes when she saw Nathan sitting up in the bed, pale but awake. "Mama!"

"Oh my baby boy!" Rachel dropped Puck's hand and ran across the room, pulling the frail boy into her arms. "I'm so happy that you're awake."

"The nurse told me that I slept for a really long time." Nathan nodded when Rachel pulled back. "She said my body was trying to make me better."

"And look at you." Puck ran his hand over the boy's head. "You're looking so much better."

"Hi, Dad!" Nathan grinned up at Puck.

"Hey, kid." Puck smiled down at him before pulling up a chair beside the bed.

Rachel pulled Nathan to her again, squeezing him. "I love you so much. I've missed seeing those eyes of yours."

"Mom, too tight." Nathan laughed when Rachel let him go.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so happy that you're awake." Rachel gave him a small smile.

Nathan frowned as he looked at her. "Then why are you crying?"

Rachel raised a hand and dragged it across her cheek; sure enough, she was crying and she hadn't even realized it. "Sometimes you cry when you're happy, baby. I'm just so, so happy that I can't seem to stop."

Nathan looked to Puck who just shrugged. "You're not going to cry are you?"

Puck let out a bark of laughter. "No, I'm not going to cry. It's more of a girl thing."

"Yeah, and we're men, not girls." Rachel and Puck laughed together as Nathan puffed out his chest.

"So we have something that we'd like to talk to you about, baby." Rachel sat on the bed beside her son, taking his hand into hers.

He raised his eyebrow at her, his gaze questioning and for a second all she saw was herself in him. "What, Mom?"

Rachel glanced at Puck who just nodded at her, telling her that she was in charge of telling Nathan the plans that they had made that morning. "I – I mean we – were wondering what you would think of moving here to Ohio."

"Here where Grandma and Beth live?"

Rachel shook her head. "No, a few hours from here in Lima where Mommy and Daddy grew up."

Nathan turned his head to look at Puck. "Are you coming, too?"

"Yes." Puck nodded slowly. "We were actually thinking that the three of us could move there together and get a house."

"Like a family?"

Rachel felt like her heart was going to break. Nathan sounded so excited at the concept of having a real family and she knew that it was something she should have given him earlier, but her stupid pride had stood in the way. She took Puck's hand in hers as she nodded. "Yes, baby. Like the family we are. And you'll be close to Beth, both your grandma, Abby, and of course your granddads. And I'm sure that you'll be great friends with Auntie Quinn and Uncle Sam's kids."

"I liked them." Nathan nodded. "I think we should do it."

And with his blessing, the decision was made. Puck would transfer to the Lima Police Department and Rachel would find a job as an admin assistant. It wouldn't be the same as working for a Broadway producer, but she now knew that no job was more important than family. She wanted Nathan to be raised around his family and their friends. She never wanted them to be alone again, and when Puck squeezed her hand, she knew they would never again be alone.


End file.
